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NBA Picks

Heat/Rockets NBA Picks: Wade & Bosh Ready to Burst Houston

The Miami Heat have been struggling mightily without Lebron James and it doesn't get any easier tonight as they travel to the Toyota Center as they face the Houston Rockets and superstar James Harden. See who we like as our betting pick in this matchup.

Tip-off is set for tonight at 8:00 pm ET at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

In this game, James Harden was held to just 11 points and a -20 ratio when on the court. The Houston bench got most of the minutes as their starters were held to just 36 points for the game while the Pelicans shot 53% from the field and 46.7% from beyond the arc. Houston will need to play much better. Despite their sub .500 record, the Heat are no pushovers. Remember, this was a team that made it to the NBA Finals last season.

Josh Smith
I'm really not impressed with the acquisition of Josh Smith. For a Detroit team to just waive a player with so much money and time remaining on his contract, you know that Smith had to be really underperforming.

Just as we write this, a Pistons club that couldn't win a ball game all season long has now won 4 straight games. In his last 4 games, Smith is averaging 5.2 points per game and has shot 9 of 31 from the field during that period of time. Houston thought they were getting a stud, but in essence, they were really getting a dud in Josh Smith.

Also, look for James Harden to bounce back from the poor performance against New Orleans. This is one of the most productive offensive players in the NBA.

Washed Up?
Even though the Heat aren't winning like last year, Dwayne Wade has proven that there's plenty of gas left in his tank. Ever since Chris Bosh had gotten hurt, Wade had stepped up and he's having a monster season. For the season, Wade is averaging 23.2 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game.

Although is did appear from watching Wade last season that he was washed up, he has answered the critics with possibly one of the best seasons of his career, especially under the circumstances of not having LBJ on the squad anymore. Wade has shown no signs of slowing down, averaging 24.8 point per game in his last 5 games and I expect him to play well in what should be a high scoring affair.

Upon returning from injury, Chris Bosh has had two solid consecutive outings, averaging 19 points and 8 rebounds and expect another 20 point performance here. Dwight Howard will grab a ton of rebounds but he's a soft player and this will enable the tandem of Wade and Bosh to get open shots.

Outcome
Houston is coming off of just an awful loss to the Pelicans and I expect Miami to be competitive in this game. Take the 7.5 with the Heat with your NBA picks as this is the safe and only play in this game.